Car-unloading device.



No. 769,923. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904. J1 P. SHEEHAN & G. O. JOHNSON.

GAR UNLOADING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED APILQ, 1904.

3 $HEETS-SHEET 1.

NO MODEL.

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51% WW. (fla /1W No. 769,923. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904. J. P. SHEEHAN &G. 0. JOHNSON.

GAR UNLOADING DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 9, 19M.

3 SHEETSSHBET 2.

. N0 MODEL.

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No. 769,923. PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

J. P. SHEEHAN & G. O. JOHNSON.

GAR UNLOADING DEVICE.

. APPLIGATION FILED APR. 9. 1904.

NO MODEL, 3 SHEETS-$111231 3.

UNTTED STATES Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT @EETcE.

JOHN P. SHEEHAN AND CHARLES O. JOHNSON, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CAR-UNLOADING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,923, datedSeptember 13, 1904.

Application filed April 9, 1904. Serial No. 202.354. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN P. SHEEHAN and CHARLES O. JOHNSON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Buflalo, in the county of Erie and Stateof New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-UnloadingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portable car-unloading devices havingpower-operated traveling scoops or shovels adapted to be operated in arailway-car to shovel or move loose, lumpy, granular, and the likematerial from different parts of the car to and out of the cardoor or toa desired point where it can be more readily handled or discharged.

The objects of the invention are to provide a device for this purposewhich can be quickly and easily moved alongside of a car and adjustedand operated to move or remove the load from all parts of the car; tomake a device of desirable, strong, and economical construction; to soconstruct the device that it can be operated without being attached toor supported by the car being unloaded, and to produce a device whichreduces to the minimum the labor of the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of three sheets, Figure 1 is aplan view, partly in section, of a car and an unloading device embodyingthe invention in operative relation to said car. Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryside elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, on anenlarged scale, of one of the scoop-operating windlasses. Fig. 4 is asectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the stationary crane. Fig.5 is a horizontal section, partly in plan, on an enlarged scale, in line5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, on an enlargedscale, of the traveling crane.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The unloading device comprises a movable car or support which is adaptedto be run up alongside of the car to be unloaded on the adjoining track,one or more cranes, derricks, or analogous devices each having a boom orgib, a scoop or shovel connected to an operating-cable or other flexiblecarrier supported by the boom, which is adjustable to properly directthe movements of the scoop or shovel in the various portions of the carbeing unloaded, and windlasses or the like for operating thescoop-carrier and for raising and lowering the boom, and power-operatedmechanism for operating said Windlasses and which is also preferablygeared to the wheels of the car or support for propelling the latter.

A represents the car or movable support of the unloading device, thesame being preferably in the form of a flat-car having wheels forrunning on the usual railroad-track. The car preferably has an openframe consisting of uprights a and horizontal beams or members a.

The car is preferably provided with two cranes, derricks, or the likefor supporting and directing the movements of the traveling scoops, oneof which cranes or derricks, B, is stationarily mounted on the flat-car,While the other, B, is mounted on a traveling carriage to be moved onthe car to the most favorable position for operation or to be moved outof the way of the stationary crane when this alone is used. Either asingle stationary or traveling crane or derrick or two or morestationary or traveling cranes or derricks can be employed, as foundmost desirable.

The uprightmast or column G of the stationary crane or derrick (seeFigs. 2 and 4) is pivotally mounted in a bearing 0 on the flatcar and ispreferably steadied by a bearing 0 for its upper end secured to one ofthe horizontal frame members of the car. It is adapted to be turned inits bearings and is held stationary when adjusted by any suitable means,a set-screw 0 being shown for this purpose.

D is a boom or arm provided at its inner end with a hub or portion (Z,through which the mast extends and to which it is splined, as shown inFig. 5, or otherwise connected to permit the boom to be adjustedvertically on the mast and hold it from swinging thereon. The boomconsists of an inner section d, an outer hollow section (i which ishinged to the outer end of the inner section to swing horizontally, andan extension 6Z3, which telescopes into the hollow swinging section, inwhich it is secured in adjusted positions by a set-screw or the like d.The swinging section of the boom is swung horizontally by a shaft E,journaled on the inner end of the boom and provided with a suitablehand-wheel or device e for turning the same, and a sprocket-wheel 0',connected by a sprocket-chain to a sprocketwheel a on the verticalhinge-pin a for the hinged section, which is fixed to the latter and isjournaled in a bearing-hole in the inner section of the boom. By turningthe handwheel thehinged outer section of the boom can be swung around toany desired angle to the inner section, and it is held in ad-justedpositions by the engagement of a dog FigQ preferably power-operated, ashereinafter described.

I represents a scoop, shovel, or drag for moving or shoveling the load.It is attached by bails or chains 2' at its opposite ends to a carrier,belt, or cable K, one end of which passes around a supporting-sheave 7c,mounted on the end of the boom extension, thence over a guide sheave orpulley it on the flatcar and is connected to a suitable Windlass L,

while the other end of the belt or cable passes over a guide sheave orpulley on the fiatcar and is also connected to the Windlass L. Thelatter may be of any usual or preferred form adapted to wind up and payoff opposite 'ends of the belt or cable to draw the shovel or scoop backand forth toward and from the end of the boom. The Windlass shown (seeFigs. 1 and 3) consists of two drums Z, mounted on separate shafts Z onopposite sides of a counter-shaft M, having a friction or othergear-wheel an, adapted to drive corresponding wheels m m on thedrum-shafts Z, respectively. The drum-shafts are journaled eceentricallyin rotatable bearing-blocks 072 provided with levers m for turningthem.- By properly operating the levers either drumshaft can be movedtoward and geared to the counter-shaft while the other is moved out ofgear therewith. Each end of the scoop-operating belt or cable isconnected to one of the Windlass-drums and is wound upon its drum whenthe latter is positively driven. By alternately driving the drums thebelt or cable and the scoop attached thereto are moved in differentdirections In the construction shown the counter-shaft is connected by abelt 1?. to a main drive-shaft N, journaled in suitable bearings on theflat-car and driven by a steam-engine or other motor 0, geared thereto.Any other suitable mechanism may be employed for moving the scoop orshovel in opposite directions.

The Windlass H for raising and lowering the boom on the mast (seeFig. 1) consists of a drum which is operated similarly to the drums ofthe scoop-operating Windlass by moving its shaft 1) into and out of gearwith a counter-shaft p, geared to the main drive shaft. The drum isdriven to raise the boom and is released, so as to allow the boom todescend by its own weight.

To unload a car, the car or support of the unloading device is run upalongside thereof on an adjoining track and the boom of the crane orderrick raised to the proper height and projected into the door of thecar in the case of a box-car or over the side of a gondola car, and theswinging outer section and telescoping extension of the boom areadjusted to direct the scoop or shovel to any desired portion of the carfrom which the load is shoveled t0 the door or side of the car. Inunloading a car on a trestle the load can be moved directly out of thedoor and permitted to fall through the trestle into suitable bins orreceptacles below the trestle. The boom is shifted from place to placein the car and raised or lowered, as necessary, to remove all portionsof the load. It can be quickly and easily adjusted to enable the scoopto operate in remote corners or portions of the car, and very littlelabor is necessary to completely empty the car. The boom is Whollysupported from the flat-car and does not need to be attached to orsupported by the car being unloaded.

The elbow of the boom can be provided, if necessary, with a guide sheaveor sleeve Q, Fig. 4, to hold the shovel belt or cable out of contactwith the sides of the car-door when the hinged section of the boom isbent at an angle to operate upon the load at the rear side of the car.The traveling crane is similar to the stationary one already describedexcept that it is supported by lower and upper wheeled carriages R R,running on suitable lower and elevated tracks 0 r on the flat-car andits frame. The traveling crane is moved on its tracks by a belt, cable,or the like r secured to the crane and passing around suitably-placedguide-sheaves r to windlasses r 1 similar to that employed for raisingand lowering the boom of the stationary crane, and driven by the mainand counter shafts N and M. The boom of the traveling crane, like thatof the stationary crane, consists of the hinged and telescoping partsand is raised and lowered in the same manner as the other by a cable 8,connected to a suitable hand-operated Windlass s on the lower carriageof the crane. It will be understood that the two cranes can be usedseparately or simultane- IIO ously, as most advantageous. When thetraveling crane is I not in use, it can be run back out of the Way onits tracks.

Drive mechanism is preferably employed connecting the engine or motorwith the wheels of the flat-car, so that the latter is selfpropellingand can be moved about as required independently of a locomotive. Thisis accomplished in the construction shown by a shaft T, Fig. 1, suitablyjournaled on the flat-car and belted or otherwise geared to one of theaxles of the flat-car, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 2, and having abevel-gear t, which meshes with two bevel gear-wheels t, loose on themain drive-shaft. Each gearwheel t has a clutch t for coupling it to thedrive-shaft. By coupling one wheel to the main drive-shaft the shaft Tis driven in a direction to propel the car in one direction, while bycoupling the other Wheel to the drive-shaft the car is moved in theopposite direction.

We claim as our invention- 1. In an unloading device, the combination ofa wheeled support, a crane thereon provided with a boom having ahorizontally-swinging section, means for adjusting said swinging sectionangularly, a scoop or the like, an operating-cable for said scoopsupported by the outer end ofsaid boom, and means for operating saidcable, substantially as set forth.

2. In an unloading device, the combination of a wheeled support, a cranethereon provided with a boom having a horizontally-swinging sectionprovided with an adjustable extension means for adjusting -said swingingsection angularly, a scoop or the like, an operatingcable for said scoopsupported by said extension of the boom, and a Windlass for operatingsaid cable, substantially as set forth.

3. In an unloading device, the combination of a wheeled support, a cranethereon having a pivoted mast, and a boom vertically adjustable on saidmast and provided with a horizontally-swinging section, means foradjusting said boom vertically and said swinging section angularly, ascoop or the like, an operating-cable for said scoop supported by theouter end of said boom, and a Windlass for operating said cable,substantially as set forth.

A. In an unloading device, the combination of a Wheeled support, a cranethereon having a pivoted mast, and a boom vertically adjustable on saidmast and provided with a horizontally-swinging section, means foradjusting said swinging section angularly, a scoop or the like, anoperating-cable for said scoop supported by the outer end of said boom,and power-operated mechanism for operating said scoop-cable and movingsaid boom vertically on said mast, substantially as set forth.

5. In an unloading device, the combination of a support, a pivoted mast,a boom adjustable vertically on said mast and having a hori-Zontally-swinging section, a shaft journaled on said boom, meansconnecting said shaft and swinging section for adjusting the latterangularly, ascoop, and an operating-cable for said scoop supported atthe end of said boom, sub stantially as set forth,

6. In an unloading device, the combination of a support, a mast, a boomadjustable vertically on said mast and havinga horizontallyswingingsection, means for adjusting the same angularly, ascoop, anoperating-cable for said scoop supported at the end of said boom, andguide-sheaves for said cable on said boom and said support,substantially as set forth.

7. In an unloading device, the combination of a Wheeled support, a cranemounted stationarily on said support and provided witha boom adjustablevertically and horizontally, a scoop, an operating-cable thereforsupported by the outer end of said boom, a traveling crane on saidsupport having a boom adjustable vertically and horizontally, a secondscoop, an operating-cable therefor supported at the outer end of saidboom, and powerdriven mechanism for operating said scoopcables, andmoving said traveling crane on said support, substantially as set forth.

Witness our hands this 25th day of March, 1904.

JOHN P. SHEEHAN. CHARLES O. JOHNSON.

WVitnesses:

EDWARD O. HARD, G. M. BENTLEY.

